Schulhofer Likes Position in Belmont With Postponed

Hall of Fame trainer Max Hirsch, who won the Belmont Stakes four times, one of them with Triple Crown champion Assault in 1946, once gave Scotty Schulhofer some advice.

“Keep yourself in the best of company, but keep your horses in the worst,” Hirsch said. “Do that, and you’ll be all right.”

Schulhofer also was voted into the Hall of Fame, in 1992, the year before he won the first of his two Belmont Stakes. On Saturday, Schulhofer will make another run at the Belmont with the late-developing Postponed, and at his barn Wednesday morning it was easy to recall what Hirsch told him years ago, because this field has been characterized as the worst to ever compete in a Belmont. In fact, when 11 horses were entered Wednesday, Postponed was the only one to have won his previous race.

For the first time in 30 years, neither the Kentucky Derby winner nor the Preakness winner is here, Fusaichi Pegasus having cut his right foreleg in a stall accident Saturday, and Red Bullet getting a breather that his trainer, Joe Orseno, thinks will kick-start him into the second half of the year.

“It doesn’t bother me that they’re not running,” Schulhofer said. “I’ve never been the kind of guy who wants a lot of extra competition.”

Schulhofer wouldn’t turn down the $600,000 winner’s share of Saturday’s $1-million purse, nor does he apologize for winning the Belmont with Colonial Affair in 1993 and Lemon Drop Kid last year. Both of those Belmonts had a dark side: Prairie Bayou, who had won the Preakness and was favored here in ‘93, broke down and was destroyed; last year, Charismatic was two-thirds of the way toward the first Triple Crown sweep in 21 years but broke down and finished third with a career-ending injury.

“Those horses got hurt,” Schulhofer said, “but I thought Colonial Affair and Lemon Drop were good enough to win, anyhow. They were both coming up to the Belmont very strong, and I was very confident. I thought the best horse won both times.”

Based on the morning line for the 132nd running of the Belmont, Aptitude, the 8-5 favorite, is the best horse, but he has won only one of six starts, a victory against maidens at Santa Anita that came six months ago. The bandwagon for Aptitude is based on his second-place finish, behind Fusaichi Pegasus, in the Derby, and his third-place effort, to Fusaichi Pegasus and Red Bullet, in the Wood Memorial that was run at Aqueduct, Belmont’s neighboring track, about two months ago.

Postponed, at 6-1, is no better than the fifth choice, but the son of Summer Squall may go off shorter than that. Schulhofer is a New York trainer and Postponed’s Peter Pan win looms large, because the 73-year-old trainer used that race as a successful prep for both of his Belmont winners.

“The timing of the Peter Pan is good for a Belmont horse,” Schulhofer said. “It’s two weeks before, and at a mile and an eighth it sets you up just right for the mile and a half. And it gives your horse a race over the track.”

Postponed, owned by Jeanne Vance, who is also the owner of Lemon Drop Kid, has actually had three of those. His first two races were here, a maiden win Sept. 25 and a second-place finish three weeks later. His only other win was in an allowance race at Gulfstream Park in February. Before the Peter Pan, Postponed was fifth in the Florida Derby, sixth in the Wood and second in an allowance at Aqueduct.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Belmont Field

The field for Saturday’s 132nd Belmont Stakes, with post position, horse’s name, jockey’s name and odds. (Weights: 126 pounds. Supplemental entry: Unshaded. Distance: 1 1/2 miles. Purse: $1 million. First place: $600,000. Second place: $200,000. Third place: $110,000. Fourth place: $60,000. Fifth place: $30,000. Post time: 2:27 p.m. PDT):

PP Horse: 1. Appearing Now

Jockey: Mike Luzzi

Trainer: Juan Ortiz

Owner: John Valentino

Odds: 30-1

*

PP Horse: 2. Postponed

Jockey: Edgar Prado

Trainer: Scotty Schulhofer

Owner: Jeanne Vance

Odds: 6-1

*

PP Horse 3. Commendable

Jockey: Pat Day

Trainer: Wayne Lukas

Owner: Robert and Beverly Lewis

Odds: 20-1

*

PP Horse: 4. Unshaded

Jockey: Shane Sellers

Trainer: Carl Nafzger

Owner: James Tafel

Odds: 5-1

*

PP Horse: 5. Aptitude

Jockey: Alex Solis

Trainer: Bobby Frankel

Owner: Juddmonte Farms

Odds: 8-5

*

PP Horse: 6. Globalize

Jockey: Mike Smith

Trainer: Jerry Hollendorfer

Owner: Hollendorfer, Litt and Todaro

Odds: 20-1

*

PP Horse: 7. Curule

Jockey: Jerry Bailey

Trainer: Saeed bin Suroor

Owner: Godolphin Racing

Odds: 15-1

*

PP Horse: 8. Impeachment

Jockey: Craig Perret

Trainer: Todd Pletcher

Owner: Dogwood Stable

Odds: 9-2

*

PP Horse: 9. Wheelaway

Jockey: Richard Migliore

Trainer: John Kimmel

Owner: Kimmel & Solondz

Odds: 5-1

*

PP Horse: 10. Hugh Hefner

Jockey: Jorge Chavez

Trainer: Marty Jones

Owner: King Edward Racing Stable

Odds: 50-1

*

PP Horse: 11. Tahkodha Hills

Jockey: Eibar Coa

Trainer: Ralph Ziadie

Owner: Centaur Farms

Odds: 30-1